Mizu Indou
by OneOfTwo
Summary: Jin had safely delievered Fuu to see the samurai who smelled of sunflowers, and also had reconciled with Mugen. Now he has only one place to return to. (Post series)
1. Chapter one

**Mizu indou**

By Frost Wright

The journey was over. The three of them had traveled all across Japan only to nearly loose their lives to a cause of a girl who was just growing up. To think, it had all been her trick to drag them along like bodyguards, to ensure her safe delivery to her doom. Had it not been for him, she would have been sleeping underneath the folds of the earth with her father. Jin was a man of his word, and while he offered his protection of the girl, he had never taken it seriously up until a few weeks ago. Funny, he had almost lost his life three times before fate had finally pulled its hand away from his neck and allowed him to live a little while longer. Whether it had been luck or not, the young samurai had outlived the obstacles that came at him.

Now that all the challenges were gone, Jin wasn't sure what to do with himself. It had been so long since he was allowed to do anything of his free will, and while he had a feeling of what he desired to do, he had put it off for quite some time. Mugen was long gone to own devices, and Fuu had hopefully found a nice stable place to settle down and re-start her life. They all had plans, even him.

He was just too early to complete his task.

Jin had traveled back the way he came, catching sight of all the recreation around him. He hadn't noticed all the trouble Mugen and himself had caused, though at least nothing was completely obliterated. It wasn't their fault that they had a promise to keep, if they wanted anyone to blame, it was Fuu, whom had headed north and away from the places she had visited. Still, it was nice to not have to fight over food or who got what money over the small oddball jobs they did. There wasn't any need to support two other people, and surviving by yourself wasn't too much of a bad thing. It was just lonely.

Not that he had denied any form of comradely, he understood the meaning of friendship, and that it came at the most unexpected times. He knew that already from the moment he had stepped into that small rainy village. Friendship, even love was easily attainable when you least expected it. It was just painful when you lost it.

Standing afoot of an old dirt road was the tall thin young man. His head was canted back and his lips were parted a degree to take a taste of the wind. It was clean and crisp; much like it had been the they him and his companions had first entered it. At the time it had been raining and Fuu was complaining that if she didn't get something to eat that she would fall over. There had been word that this town had an underground gambling routine going on, and like usual, Mugen seemed interested in quick and easy money. Now it seemed like the town had cleaned up a bit, as the few words he had gotten from passing peddlers was that it had been snuffed out by the shogunate, and that even the brothels had been dispersed.

Sure, they had gone under once he had done all of the work to save just one woman.

Jin had entered the town before hand to recall a few faded memories in regards to his short time in the town. He had never really believed that he would allow himself to fall for anyone. Of course it was when he was passing by a whorehouse is when he would drift into the insecurity known as affection. She had been such a strong woman, even when he had first met her. Shino, the fancy in his most secretive thoughts. It made him wonder if she would have lived a normal life had she stayed in the brothel while he went on with his journey. It was gone now by the looks of the small restaurant that stood in the buildings place. Or would she have been in the hands of her toothless husband, being pawned off for more shillings of money. He had been glad he saved her, and while the last he saw of the woman was a brief glance through a lake of fog, he had the will the return to her. Three years in a monastery for a purification process. Sure, it was a typical quarantine and training process to make her one of the temple attendants, and after she was done, she had the option of continuing her enlightenment or leaving for less 'religious' matters.

It had only been a few months since then, six or maybe seven at best. Jin hadn't realized that time didn't drift by as fast he thought it would, and that here he was waiting for someone who still had years before she was allowed to leave the grounds. He had wandered the calm streets in quiet thought, wondering if she would even remember him, or that his affection had turned into something more vile. It wasn't an obsession, could it?

Jin had found the streets that eventually turned to paths, and while his thoughts wandered he found himself peeking over a murky waterway. It had at one time been a massive river that the town often survived on, now it just seemed like a canal that most traders used for easy way of travel. No one ever ventured off pass the peninsula, where they knew that the monastery lay. It was a huge establishment that anyone could see its towering architecture from miles away. She was there, somewhere. It wasn't his right to intervene, or to even snag her away from the place she had probably grown so fond of. It wasn't like him to do something like that.

"Are you alright there, young man?" An old yet firm voice called off to the samurai's right. It was enough to drift him from his thoughts and to slide his gaze into his direction. He was a small man who was perched onto a small boat. He had been shipping cargo as he could see from the empty crates that sat still behind him. Jin hadn't provided any form of reply other then a nod before looking back out to the water. He had never been a man to converse without reason.

" You don't look like you're fine, are you searching for something?"

Apparently the old coot had a reason.

" I was, until I found it." He blinked back from the temple finally and restored his full attention to the small feeble man whom had hopped off the boat and took its snout before dragging it onto the shore beside the small dock. He had an old fashioned sakkat over his brow to hide away the sun, though judging the day's progression; it was due to be nightfall in a few hours.

" Let me guess, ya lost it. Young folks these days… you can read em' like a book." After securing the vessel, had had gone to stepping towards the samurai, his lips parting into a wrinkled grin. Jin had taken note of his words, and forced a small smile underneath a few hiding strands of black hair. The old may be strange, but they were often wise.

" Perhaps. Though I wouldn't call it lost." He shifted away from the waters edge and offered a simple regarding to the man that was there. Once each had gotten a good look at one another, the elderly fisherman blinked and tipped back the edge of his rice hat.

" You look awfully familiar. Did you used to wear glasses?"

The fact that the old man spotted something that he hadn't worn in over three months, Jin took him a bit more seriously and gave another nod, " I did."

" Ha! I knew it. You're one of the fella's that caused a ruckus in our village a long time ago. There were wanted posters up everywhere-that is, until the shogunate showed up and turned our town around." The old man had turned off by that point and waved off a hand for him to follow. While Jin had the inclination to stare at the water and think for the next few hours, his foot took to following after him.

" So your village is officially owned now…" The young samurai had never liked officials much, as he felt that an establishment could take care of itself without having a high and might emperor watching over and waving his hand over the land saying it was all his. Anyone could do that; it was just whether or not they had the authority and the money.

" Ohh, I wouldn't call it owned, we're under protection. I know how you ronin folk work, so I won't bother yapping about how much the town has changed since you and your friends were last here. By the way, where are they?"

" We went our separate ways." It was a simple enough answer, all that an old man needed to know.

" Ohh, so your adventure ended and you decided to come back here?"

The question made the samurai pause in his steps a moment. He had came back here for several reasons, " I'm just passing through." There was no need to stay any longer then necessary; she had her own life now. Still, the response made the old man gurgle out a small refrained laugh and had started up a small dirt path.

"That's not what your eyes say. Maybe you should go back to hiding behind those specs you had earlier."

That made Jin frown, though he only continued in following the fish merchant up the path, having noticed there was a small cabin not too far up the road. It must be where he lived. Still, the lack of response made another laugh from the old man, " You sure are accepting, huh? Aren't you going to ask where I've seen you before?"

" You said you were in the town when everything happened." Even if he hadn't seen him personally, not too many people could afford glasses, much let alone cause as big of a ruckus as he did. Even a wanted ad would show something of that sort.

" Nope, I wasn't, I was asleep in my cabin until you and your girl ran off with my boat." They had been a few feet from the small establishment when folded wrinkled eyes slid back to where the samurai had been. Jin had looked on edge for a moment, mostly because he hadn't thought of anything when he darted down to the shore with Shino. The boat as there and that was all that he needed. He didn't take into consideration on whose boat that was.

" I'm sorry-" He had started an apology, but the old man started up into another gargle of laughter, a hand having gone to untie the strap that kept the had to his head.

" The whole town went running down to the shore at that point, how could an old man like me sleep? I got there just in time to see you cuttin' up a few poor souls and watch my boat and –your- woman sail off into the distance." The hat had been removed to reveal a balding head with a few spouts of graying hair. Perfect or a man who had more sloth features then human.

" I hadn't thought of who-" Jin hadn't gotten to finish his second statement, as the old man cut in and went to chatting once more, " Well-I got it back, didn't I? So no need for explanations. I know why ya did it, which is why I didn't go chasing after you with my walking stick, " he was cocky, too, " Any who, don't you want to know how I got it back?"

It took a considerable amount of time to wonder if the ramblings of a lonely fishermen were worth hearing, though his instincts drove him to nod carefully.

" Well good, because I was gonna tell ya anyway! Now lets head inside and I can make us some tea. You look like you haven't eaten in a week." Sad, but he hadn't been that far off. Without any real form of a job, Jin hadn't much to get by with. So the opportunity of having something to drink was enough to tolerate story time from a man who was three times his age. The cabin held something of a small yet cozy appearance, with walls that were painted a dull red and the wooden floors had a few fur rugs thrown here or there, it wasn't so painful to the eyes. In fact, it was rather nice.

" Go on, take a seat and I'll be there in a minute, just gotta put the kettle over the fire." There had been a large stone fireplace set to the side. It was something he hadn't seen of that style before, and had only blamed it on western cultures. They were invading everything now days, as if they didn't have enough land of their own to play in. Still, the young man had taken a seat by one of the rugs and tugged at his sword to lay down beside him. He hadn't a whole lot of reason to worry, unless there was a group of assassins that blended into the walls of the building waiting to ambush him. Then again, one could ever be too cautious. Once the feeble merchant had settled things to get ready for tea, he had flopped down by the samurai, having cast his hat off to where a small bed matt was placed.

" Well, it's a funny thing actually.. I know a lot of the monks that work at the temple up on the hill. I often go and get them rations from the market place back in the village, and I couldn't do it because I didn't have ma' boat! I was pondering swimming my way across when one of the workers was wandering back with it. Imagine that, lucky day for me!" It seemed like it was turning into a typical story that didn't hold too much significance, but Jin's patience remained and he kept listening regardless.

" Anyway, he came back with a mighty fine story himself. He had said that the night before that they all got woken up by a pretty young woman who beggin' to be admitted. Sound familiar?" The old man leaned over a bit, his lips pulling into another wrinkled grin. That had gotten Jin's attention, and for a moment, his nerves twitched. Was she not okay? " Yes." He said quickly enough, hoping that the old man would continue.

" Well, she caused one heck of a racket, and if it wasn't for the woman's strong will, she would have been on that boat ride back and then sent to that brothel again. She became a rather nice pupil there once she got a hold of how to work everything. I've have a few talks with her, and if you want to get technical, she apologized for the boat stealing a long time ago." The old man had tilted his head back in another fit of laughter. The story did seem to put the samurai's mind at ease, even though it only had confirmed his beliefs in not interfering.

The kettle had started in a low whine and the elderly man had risen up from his perched spot, pulling it from the fire before it's cry got any louder. Once it was settled onto what seemed like a tiny counter top, the old man had gone to pulling a few glossed clay cups, " So what's with all the silence? You sound like death warmed over and your holding your breath waiting for him to leave. You're a poor kid, aren't ya?" He had pulled a small sack from a roped loop and pulled out a few tealeaves, having deposited them into the cups before pouring the water.

" I was going to work for my lodgings in the village." Jin had thought it was possible to do just that before going on his way. Though it seemed the old man had a plan, as he could get the odd grin on his face as he came back with the tea and offered it out.

" Why don't I give you lodgings and you can help an old man fish and carry cargo back and forth for a while? If you need the money, I'll split what we get."

Jin had taken the tea and bowed his head before looking down towards the clear contents. He had offered him a job, and while it was tempting, he wasn't sure whether or not to accept, " .. Thank you, but I don't intend on staying here for long.." He gradually sipped the liquid, only to take sight of the man's sour face.

" Just passin' through, right? Well I think you should reconsider. It's not every day a man looses what matters most to him and gets another chance to take it back. Take it from an old lonely boatman. When you loose something and can't get it back, it's something that will never leave you. No matter how strong a heart is.. it will always be there, lurking behind you." He did however sit back down to drink his own tea, allowing the moment of silence to drift between them.

He had a point.

" Why do you want to help me?" It seemed so unlikely for a man who knew nothing about him would be so willing to offer a hand to bridging together a broken past. It wasn't normal.

" ..Cus' I lost what was precious to me a long time ago. You're still young, and have a chance. Besides, when a pretty young woman asks me of something, I can't say no." He had finished his drink with a large gulp and started off in another chuckle, having gone to set his cup off to the side. The comment had left the young samurai in careful thought. There had been the possibility that she remembered and willed him to return, though what was factual and what was rickety about his story is what made him wonder.

"What's your name?"

" Bashi. So that means you'll help an old fool? What's you're name anyway?" The fisherman offered a large toothy grin back into his direction, having gotten up to his feet and offered out a small cracked hand. It was odd, to consider it helping him, while Jin was the one who was receiving aid. If it meant passing the time for her release, it was at least something for him to do.

The young swordsman had set his own cup to the side and stood slowly enough, offering out a hand towards the man and having clasped them together in a firm shake. Odd, for a man of his age, he had a good grip.

" Jin."


	2. Chapter two

Authors note: Hey there Samurai Champloo fans ( I know there aren't a lot out there yet :P ), here is chapter two of my fic. I went and added a bit more history into the place now that I learned a good deal of where episode 11 has taken place. I added a few more characters in to develop the story line. I hope you all don't mind original characters ; Anyway, review and let me know how you guys feel about this so far. Jin is so hard to write for and manage to keep in character :

Chapter: 2

Time flies by when you're terrible at fishing. Regardless of Jin being a decent warrior, he hadn't the faintest on how to dig up clams, set up nets for fish, much let alone to gut them in bulk and set them up for proper seasonings. There was so much to learn, and while the old man often quipped at the boy, he accepted it as a rough form of teaching. He was a good student, when it came to listening and trying his hardest to understand the true meaning of any task.

It had been another month before had gotten the hang of things, setting out lines and nets to catch the current of the fish. Sure, the lake wasn't endless of fish, but they only caught enough to make it by, with enough profit to split between the two. During this time, every morning the young man would catch glimpse of Bashi as he went out beyond the murky horizon to the other end of the water's horizon. He had never once asked to go to the other side, much let alone to the temple. It was blocked of course from normal folk, as the religion it taught prohibited it. The old merchant was lucky enough to be elected to go back and forth there in delivering supplies.

Not once had either of them mentioned the girl that was hidden beneath the walls of the monastery, as the topic seemed taboo for the longest time. Sure, it would only bring a distraction against his catching of the day… and with how badly he fished to begin with, Jin didn't need any more distractions. Though he would often find himself staring off into the mountainous regions of the Hakone, wondering. Was she safe? Was she happy? Did she even know he was there? They were all stupid questions, he knew that.

" What's that blank stare comin' up with now?"

This day hadn't been much different from the rest.

The young samurai had turned his head to catch sight of a large bag being tossed into his direction from another passing boat, and had caught it before his weight decided to tip his boat over, " .. Sorry." He had only cast the bag a sparing look before setting it to the side and had knelt down to pull at the net he had set up.

"Aren't you gonna look what's inside? I swear, you have the brain of the fish that you're rounding up." Bashi had been stationed to his own boat.. dressed in the outfit he normally wore for when he was venturing out to the other ports. Jin hadn't caught glance of what he was wearing and only tugged at the links of rope to pull up a few squirming bits of sea life. There wasn't anything too valuable though, aside from the one koi fish that squirmed from a hole in the web it was stuck in and managed to splash up a good deal of water in the samurai's face before disappearing underneath the water bellow.

"…" He hated koi. Ever since that one day when he had found that satchel of counterfeit money. They always looked like they were up to something, with those big blank eyes. He had wiped the bit of water from his face and had turned to look towards the bag itself and slowly leaned over to open it. The contents however made him blink.

" Food supplies?"

" That's right-I made word of my little fish apprentice.. and now that everyone knows, I'd rather have you go and ship everything. Besides, you'd be better at that then with the algae you got there." The elderly man looked pleased with himself as he caught look of the twitching brow of the samurai. Sure, he wasn't a good fisherman, but the insult wasn't necessary.

"Fine, " Jin had stated while tying the bag back together and stood to swing it over his shoulder. Each of them had hopped to the opposite vessel, though as the black haired young man turned, he found something else tossed at him, the sakkat that Bashi had been wearing a few moments ago.

" Go on and take it, you'll need it more in traveling around out in the sun then I would. Now go and take that package off to the northern coast, you'll find your receiver once you get there. Now don't hang around the port too long, otherwise ye just might miss dinner." It was strange to be treated as a child sometimes, but it was comforting in a while as well. The old man was lonely, and he didn't have anywhere to go, it was a good trade off between the two. Once having plopped the wicker hat up top of his head, he nodded and set the pack down onto the deck of the boat, " Right."

He was obedient as long as he knew what he was doing, which was always nice for the old man. The only time he had to raise his voice is when he did something terribly wrong in regards to the fish, which had lulled down quite a bit, " Alright then, you be good now." The two had parted by that point, leaving Jin pondering a bit more. Why the sudden change?

The dock that he had arrived to didn't look all that different from any other port. People were bustling around, loading crates of supplies up onto the main wooden piers. It made his parcel look rather ridiculous, but that was beside the point. He had something to deliver, and that was what he was going to do. Besides, having not seen the main land was almost refreshing in his mind. The main city of Hakone was well known for it's post between Edo and Takaido, and with it's hot springs, it was a nice place for someone to come and unwind. Not to mention, the lack of the black market around made the village seem a lot cleaner. He didn't mind it at all.

In fact, he had come to like it.

"Oh-are you Bashi's apprentice?" A voice of a tender matured woman caught his attention, and slowly from the brim of his hat, he had seen exactly what he had heard. She was a fairly tall woman, looking to be in her middle-years. Judging by the small thin lines that had built up on her face, she looked to be a mother. Children always brought out wrinkles.

" Yes-am I delivering this to you?" He had set the boat up beside the dock and had taken the sack and plopped it the main deck before hopping onto it himself, taking the time to secure a line around one of the pillars to make sure his 'vessel' didn't decide to go and wander off on him.

" Oh heavens no. I'm just here to guide you to the delivery spot. Bashi said you wouldn't have any idea where to go." Jin couldn't help but give the woman a flat look at that. Sometimes being treated as a child got on his nerves… sometimes.

"Where is it?" There was no use in arguing with her, and after the boat was settled, he had taken the parcel up once again and seemed ready to follow her directions.

"This way, it's a bit of a walk, so keep your feet up."

Instead he was following her heels. Though Jin wasn't sure whether or not he would have located the delivery point on words, but following behind a woman that was fashioning waves to every man they passed had worried him some. What was the old coot up to now?

" So, your name is Jin, huh? Bashi told me all sorts of things about you, I'm Emi." The woman had spoke back behind her after a long moment of silence between them. They had already traveled out from the main bustle of the town and had started on a small dirt path. Where this food was going was beyond him.

" ..Ah." He gave his typical response in concentrating on the area around him, and had noticed a few lingering trees here or there. While it was normal for him to usually stay quiet, the woman had not expected such a short-winded reply.

"You're the strong silent type, aren't you? How boring," She had given a small whine at that, only rose a hand to one of the odd trinkets that held her hair together, " After all that exaggerating, I would have thought that you'd be the most interesting man alive." She sounded disappointed more then anything as she kept her quick pace. The tree's had turned more tense as they seemed to enter what seemed like a small forest. The walk seemed to go on for a few more minutes before they had started up what seemed to be a slope. After an hour or so of walking, the samurai's curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"Where is this parcel being delivered to?"

"He didn't tell you? That old geezer-" The woman had rolled her eyes a bit and kept on tugging at the small ornament she had in her hair, and had gotten up to the top of the hill, on looking to a moderate sized establishment, " Well I guess your bound to find out in a minute." The building itself looked like a residence of sorts, with a medium built porch with a few odd wooden protrusions sticking up from the ground. They looked beat up, as if someone had taken a Kendo stick to them several times.

Jin would have taken a closer look at the area around him had he not felt a sudden pain smack the back of his head.. and while acting on reflexes, the bag was dropped and he had whirled around to see nothing, and after being pegged again, his head had jerked upwards to the trees. There was a small boy perched there, tan skinned and producing a large frown down to them both. His hair was short and unkempt like any child would, though before the swordsman could get a better look at him, he had hopped down and ducked into the woods. Needless to say, the matured woman had turned to only coax a small bark off to where the retreating boy was, " Your going to get yourself in big trouble if you keep on throwing rocks at my visitors Keitaro! He's only bringing you all food!"

All?

Jin had turned his head back to the establishment after her had finished rubbing the soft spot of his head, only to see a matter of eight or nine variously aged children on the porch he could have sworn was empty a minute ago. For a moment, he seemed out numbered. He didn't mind children.. but there was a horde of them.

" Well, this is my home, and the home of the children whom Hakone was terrible enough to abandon. You may call me a lunatic, but all these children are well cared for." She had gone to take the bag by that point, dragging it behind her as continued up the path, only to be greeted by a good number of the older children, who had gone to help her carrying the rations back inside. It seemed that his work had been done, though it wasn't long before Jin had gone to following after her.

She took care of them all by herself?

" I didn't know Bashi did charity work." For an old man who lived in a tiny cabin, he didn't think he was wealthy enough to support anyone other them himself. Much let alone ten hungry mouths and a haughty old woman.

" Charity? Oh no, it's not that. I'm paying you for bringing this to me after all. There's no way I could have brought this all by myself, and I need the older kids to keep track of the little ones." She did give a sparing smile back to where he was after she had hopped onto the front deck. Jin had stopped a few feet away from the steps themselves, and took the liberty of watching the children as the picked at what was brought and darted inside to deposit them. Aside for the one that thought pitching rocks was funny, they all seemed well behaved.

" Well just don't stand there, your welcome to come in." She had disappeared inside not long after, and gradually after giving a sparing look back to the woods, he had ascended the steps and slipped inside.

The main hall seemed simple yet clean, and was constructed to inhabit two stories. Mats were placed here or there, though he assumed that most of the children snoozed upstairs for the most part. There wasn't much of a living space aside from all the random objects that were tucked in the corner of the room. The cooking area seemed vast enough as well, considering that most of the children were there now. It took him a moment to locate Emi once more, as she had been in the middle of all the children, taking what seemed like a small infant from one of the other children.

" So how do you like our humble abode? Not too bad for a woman past her prime and a couple of kids." She had turned back to him and stepped to where he was, having pressed the babe against her bosom. Jin had sparred a small nod in agreeing with her before peeking down at the child. It had been so long since he got a good look at one. In the world he grew up in, the young were far and few.

The woman had raised a brow at that and shifted to offer the child out to him, her painted lips curling into a small grin, " Here, hold him while I go get dinner ready. I'm sure Bashi wouldn't mind me making something for the both of you." Before he could protect, the small creation was shoved in his hands and she had turned back to the kids. Wait, hadn't the old man advised for him to come back before then?

" I-" Being interrupted seemed like a way of life for him, as soon as the baby had realized that an unfamiliar being was holding him, the poor thing went to screaming. Maybe this is why he stayed far away from children.. they made that horrible sound whenever they felt it necessary.

" Oh-just rock him. He does that from time to time!" The woman had called out while taking out a small rack of what looked like dry fish and went on to complaining on how it was the wrong type. Between her, the chatter of the children, and the yelling of the baby, Jin's temperament had waned. Rock him, huh? And while he escaped back out onto the porch, he had done just that.

He was about as good as taking care of an infant as he was fishing.

The young man didn't know too much about natural grace, and that of the calm movements a child needed to calm down. In fact, the rocking only seemed to make things worse. He stood there a moment, brows twitching and his face looking sour at the woods around him, he had finally forced a sigh and looked back down to the odd creature. Maybe if he just forced it's mouth closed.. it would shut up. After contemplating this for a short time, he had lifted his hand to loom above the infant, and while he seemed to go and pinch the child's lips shut, he only mouth his index finger gummed at. There was a mix between shock and disgust that crossed his face when this had occurred, but at least the child wasn't screaming anymore.

" What kind of samurai are you? Can't even take care of a –kid-." The same light winded sound of the boy in the trees had appeared once again, and by that point Jin had gotten a better look at him.

" I wasn't aware that I had to have the knowledge of taking care of a child." Well, normally a samurai learned the skills of the sword, not baby-sitting.

" Psh! Shows how much –you- know. Stupid." And the kid had only shoved his rounded nose up into the air before having turned into the house, leaving the swordsman and the infant to themselves.

Thankfully the finger technique worked until it was time for dinner, and while the fish was presented along with a good deal of vegetables, it had turned out to be an actual pleasant night. He had thought time and time again on Bashi sitting in his own cabin roaring up a storm about how he didn't listen, but he figured to deal with that when the time came. Most of the kids had been polite during eating, and often found themselves asking him odd questions. Where he had traveled to, the people that he had seen, how many sword fights he had won. It was strange, he didn't mind answering the questions for once, as it made him feel like an old wise man himself.

Time went by so fast that he had lost track of it, and while the dinner had been over and the day had passed well onto the night, the young man was seated in the middle of the great hall, knelt down by the table he had eaten at, sipping at a dish of alcohol. Sure, the sake wasn't really necessary, but after a long day, Emi had insisted upon it.

"So how was dinner?" She seemed perfectly fine despite having previously chased all the children to bed an hour prior. She had a lot of patience, even more then him.

" Good. I wasn't aware women who worked in a brothel could cook." It was a bold assumption, though as he had most of the day to think, his memories led him to believe that he had seen her somewhere before. Judging by the small grin on the woman's face, he had been right.

" I wasn't born in one, you know. I cooked well in my youth before I was admitted there. Though I'm glad you recognize where I'm from." She had sipped her own small portion of the hot alcohol before setting it aside.. having leaned over the table a bit, " I knew I saw you from somewhere, stealing looks at Kohana."

He hadn't heard that name in so long. Jin's expression sobered a bit as he sat back.. a few strands of ebony had let off a few drastic shadows in the candle light, " .. You were there?"

The woman had chuckled a bit at his own 'innocence', and only curled a small hand underneath her chin, " ..I was there before she showed up, and after she disappeared." She allowed a bit of silence to fall between them, and while the young samurai hadn't jumped to any questions, she raised an inquisitive brow, " You don't have anything to say? How sad."

Jin's expression faltered a bit and for a moment he looked downwards to the wooden table bellow him. What questions did he even have the right to ask? " ..It's in the past. Whatever happened doesn't change the present." It had been an irrelevant statement, but one that was safe to say. Judging by Emi's expression, she didn't seem too enthused by it however, " You're the man that Kohana chatted out for hours on end about, and that's all you have to say? You –are- boring."

The statement made the young man frown a bit.. and gradually the annoyance had gotten to him, " What am I supposed to ask?"

Well, at least that was a response. By that point, the woman eased back and rolled her eyes, having stood up and took the jug between two thin fingers, " .. How would I know? I haven't seen her in months." She had retreated back into the kitchen area to deposit the sake container and went to cork it shut. Her words left Jin blinking however, and he had stood up slowly enough. Alcohol never did sit right with him.

" Months?"

"Yah, that's right. I saw her after you got done with your gallantry act. She was torn up to pieces, and I had to pick up after them." The story that the woman was weaving sounded a lot different from Bashi's version. In his world, she seemed happy and content, and in Emi's…

" What happened?" He didn't move from his spot, yet from the look from his dark pupils, there was a token of concern.

" Oh, now your interested. Listen, I wouldn't try to play hero again. You did enough damage doing that the first time, " She had gone back to the table to pick up the serving dishes, and only paused when she looked up to see a set of furrowed brows and squiggled line for a mouth. She had seen that face before while sitting in the window trying to attract customers. He didn't know it then, but he was showing concern when he returned that old umbrella. " Do you know what's happened since the shogunate have showed up?"

"No."

Well, at least he wasn't rambling at her now. Emi had to thank the heavens for that. She did however return back to the kitchen area once more, depositing the items she had picked up, " .. Now that Hakone is now officially part of Edo, the temples are being urged to change their religion. The Jinja is no different. With shintoism as the new base, women aren't needed as badly in the temple anymore." She did study the young man's features, though they still held that blank force of concern.

" Do you know what happened to her?"

" Not a clue. The last time I spoke with her, she lost what meant most to her. Like I said before, I just picked up the pieces of her life before she went on with it. According to my knowledge, she's still there. Though whether she's going to be married off to an official or try to become a miko, who knows." Emi had sounded casual enough, having only folded her arms over her chest as her around eyes remained pinned onto him.

He didn't get it.

" .. Thank you for your time.. but I should go." To him, what she had said was nothing more then vague information. A few months ago could have meant anywhere from while he was running around in Nagasaki to having just stepped foot out of Hakone. Still, he had turned away from her and had collected up his own weapon by that point and tucked it within his own sash. Though by time he had gotten to the door, the woman had spoken once more, "When you figure when you want to talk, come back and visit us. I'm sure Oshii would like to see you again."

Had the samurai been able to place a name to a face, he would have directed a more forward response, but while he met so many children.. it was hard to configure which she had meant. Jin hadn't hesitated more then that, as he hoped from the porch and back down the path once again. It was already nightfall, and would take long while before he returned back to the docks. Though while Jin had made his own escape, the middle aged woman had expelled a small sigh and had tugged her hair from it's tie, fingers curling around the odd ornament she had been playing with earlier. He would understand, eventually. She just hoped he would pick up the pieces himself before it was too late.

A small wail had pierced the night in Jin's retreat, and while it sounded so deviously familiar, his dash had skidded to a small stop. It was the infant again, and he found himself pivoting on one foot to look back into the building's direction. The child was probably hungry or the banter between him and Emi had forced him to wake up. Either way, there was no reason for him to stay.. and after a lingering look, his footsteps had started back in their run down the forest's path. Bashi had a lot of explaining to do.


	3. Chapter three

Author's note: Onto the next chapter of might adventures of Jin ( No, not really). Another character was introduced, and I think this is going to be it for all the 'main' characters. I know how people are about there being too many pieces to the puzzle, and I want to keep it minimal. I was going to make this chapter a bit more dramatic, but I felt to leave it half hearted until the next few. There's always a calm right before the storm . Anyway, Antares, Bashi and all them are my characters, people like Jin and Shino are apart of the Samurai Champloo team. I hope you guys enjoy this, and comment all you want. I really should get to editing these and proof reading them XD

Chapter: 3

The trip back across the lake had taken longer then he has expected. While it was easy to see the way during the day, the night provided nothing more then a frustrating guessing game. He hadn't been supplied with a lamp or any form of oil, and the thought hadn't crossed his mind while he had darted through town. Everyone was fast asleep anyway. After a few tries in passing what seemed like an arch through the lake itself, he had noticed a few dim specks of light that echoed out by the mountains. The sight had been enough to take his notice of where it came from.

The temple.

The question of why it was up and running this late at night had added to the young samurai's worry. He hadn't the faintest of what was going on, and whether or not a certain someone was safe. He hadn't mind being denied of her life, or even seeing her again, as long as he knew she was safe and content, he had no reason to quell on her activities. Until he was assured of this, he would worry to no end. At least from the fog he had caught sight of a familiar dockside. He had steered the small boat to the shore's end, and having a careless job of securing it, his footsteps brought him back to the small cabin, which oddly enough, gave off a small omni of candlelight as well.

"Bashi-" Jin hadn't wasted much time in slipping in through the doorway of the small cabin, his head hung low and the sakkat laid to his back, a small sullen thread was tied at the center of his collar bone. The old man wasn't anywhere in sight, and while that had added to the young man's annoyance, he only came to approach the small oil lamp that had been set up. If he wasn't here, there was the possibility that he was somewhere else.

Come to think of it, his boat wasn't by the dock either.

While there was the question of where the old man was, the swordsman had retired to the small bed mat that he had been snoozing on for the past month. While he had no real desire to sleep, he would wait for him to return. Or so he thought, as his back had touched the soft surface of the cloth underneath him. The adrenaline rush had begun to fade and the underlying affect of the alcohol had gradually reminded him of why he didn't like drinking. It took a long while, but Jin had fallen into an uncanny sleep, waiting for answers that just weren't coming.

The morning was loud and filled with the scent of burning breads. There were yells echoing here or they're to interrupt soft-spoken dreams, and after the third spell of curses, tired dark brown eyes had cracked open to see a smoke filled ceiling. What the-

"Gah- If only I had a wench to cook bread for me-then I wouldn't have to deal with this damn job!"

That was the old man all right.

Jin's thin figure had rolled over from his curled up position and gave a groggy look into the direction of where the thin elderly man was fussing over a pan of burnt bread. He had been waving it off with a wooden cutting board, and only stopped when he realized the sleeping attendant was awake.

"Bout' time you got your rump out of bed. With you being gone all night. Pfft." Bashi had sounded gruff at that, " Let me tell you- you missed the best darn dinner I ever made. And here you are coming back reeking of sake."

He only had one, maybe two full cups of it, and Jin's eyes remained flat. That is, until he remembered why he had rushed home to begin with, " Where were you? I lost track of time and your boat was gone."

"Oh, sure. Ask the geezer where –he's- been all night. Would it kill you if I said it was none of yer business?" He had tossed the wooden board to the side before taking the cooled bread off from the still smoking pan. His answer didn't help with the young man's annoyance, and by that point a frown had built up onto his features.

" Emi told me things about the temple. What's going on there?"

"Now you're changing the topic. I knew that hussy would go and say things she wasn't meant to say. I told ya not to stay there long, didn't I? Your lucky she didn't try to get you to stay the night." Well, despite on how the fisherman avoided the question, a shadow drifted from the side where Jin had been, his expression still holding the same deadened look of determination. It was enough to make him pause in his actions.

" Look I warned ya, didn't I? If you go looking for trouble, your bound to find it. So congratulations, you found a mess load of it. Let me just say that whatever she said didn't mean much." He had gone and ripped off a piece of the charred loaf and offered it out to the swordsman, " It's the best I can do with breakfast."

Jin hadn't taken the bread and only eased in his aggravation of the situation, and only shook his head slowly. This wasn't making any sense, " Why didn't you tell me that the temple changed it's beliefs?" He figured to start bit by bit; it would only make the situation worse if he asked a million things of the old man.

" It hasn't changed yet, that's why. Emi's too much of a chatterbox for her own good. Sure, it's under reconditioning, though as long as the Gongen are still there, I don't see anything happening any time soon." Sure, there was word of the well-trained warriors in the temple, though with the recent decline in schools, there had never been a consideration that one was still in practice.

" Then why did she say she saw her a few months ago?"

Bashi's aged face came into a mass of wrinkles at that question and only forced the bit of bread into other man's hand before walking past him, " I told you, boy, she's a bright girl. So bright that she's going places. The shogunates aren't completely blind to something like that. She might not have finished her cleansing period yet, but I'm sure they were willing to over look a few things."

The information had been so vague that it was painful. The young man's pale face contorted a bit as he looked at the bread, and slowly set it back onto the countertop. He couldn't have eaten even if it was the best loaf ever made, " They want to make her a miko?"

"Does it look like she could? Only if she was born with the right blood, could she have become a miko, " He noticed Jin in neglecting the food and only forced a short breath before turning back to the far end of the hall, small thin hands having taken hold of what looked like a crate of sorts, " I told you when you first came in here that I wanted you to get back what you lost. Now might not seem the time to go and do that, but you can find out the situation for yourself before judging what you should do." That statement had left a rather rough pit in the boy's stomach by then. Something was beyond wrong.

Figures, these sort of scenarios never did work out well.

"…" By then, the black haired samurai had fallen silent, his gaze critical to the older mentor and the crate that he held. Was he being allowed to go there finally? Only to find out information that he didn't want to know? It seemed hardly pleasant. Then again, staying here waiting for an explanation wouldn't help him either.

" Go on and bring it there, but I would act as normal as possible. I don't want yer death on my conscience because you went around swinging a sword and throwing a hissy fit." The crate was nudged forward a bit before the small brittle man had returned to his bread, ripping off a piece of his own and gone to nibbling.

There was only one place to go, and now that he had permission, he wasn't sure if he wanted to venture onwards to the Jinja or not. Though it wasn't like he had much of a choice, regardless of his thoughts on this situation, the supplies had to be delivered. The crate took enough time to shift onto the boat, but once it had settled, the young man had ventured out to cross the lake. Now that it was daylight, it was easy to see where he was going despite the small fog line that drifted in the distance.

The trip wasn't very long, as it had only taken something less of a quarter of an hour to cross. The tree's had gotten larger and the path that led up to the temple had finally become visible. Docking wasn't the hard part, though it did concern the swordsman that no one was there on the receiving end for his crate. While he didn't mind carrying it up all that way, he really preferred not to.

From looking underneath the wicker sakkat, he could see the built mountain range that made Hakone such a secure place, he had been surprised that anyone would have crossed through here, much let alone to use it was a cross way between Tokaido and Edo. The shogunate had a word in that, he knew that much. While drifting along the water's shallow edge and having reached his rendezvous point, his head tilted up a bit more past the mountains and up through the tree's. There was the temple itself, still set in it's traditional scheme of colors, though it depended on what time of the day you saw it. Sometimes it was red and golden and others it had a dim violet hue. It was a nice place, regardless of him never being close to it before.

It still didn't help that no one was here to pick up his crate.

A small huff passed the young man as he had hopped up off from the boat and onto the shore, having taken the snout of the boat and pulled it up onto the rocky sand that was there. He would just have to climb his way up the mountain pass and find the nearest temple monk. Though once he had the vessel secured, he tipped his head back up to the large building, only to notice the make-shift fence that was constructed to keep people from tumbling over to their doom. His eyes had followed the dark horizontal lines until something conflicted against the dark color scheme. There was something of a light cherry hue there, and as his eyes perked up a bit more, he realized it was an outfit of a woman. It was too far away to see the facial features, though something from the stature of the girl that stood there that made him gawk for a moment.

Could it be?

His lips parted slowly in wanting to yell out, but before he could, the female figure had turned away and disappeared back behind the shade of the complex once again. While he watched a moment longer, a voice sounded from the side of the path where he was about to head up, " You must be Bashi's fish-boy." The tone from the voice was enough to make Jin stand rigid. It was strong and bellowing, as if from a warrior that had cast men away with just his roar. The voice had met the face, as from the dimly lit path emerged a large man. For a moment, it could have been questioned on the man's ethnicity, though it was clear that he was some part of Asian.

"..Ah." A tilt of Jin's head had left him to that form of reply, and slowly he had drifted back from he boat itself, sakkat primarily hiding his features. The man from what he could see from the slits of the rice hat had tall and broad, his features chiseled despite the large curves that made up his cheekbones. His hair was erratic, though due to the pitch-black hue, it was hard to determine his age. Either way, he had already gone and passed over the hilltop, not that it mattered. He didn't seem armed for the moment, which was rather peculiar to the samurai. No solider goes around without any weapons at all times.

" Ah? That's all? Look at me, boy. I don't care if you've become a lowly fisherman, you still should hold respect for your government's protectors." Not only was he boisterous, he was arrogant too.

Jin's head had slowly tipped upwards to look at from underneath the rim of his hat, though it wasn't long before the larger warrior had flicked it to the side with a large finger. That was enough to make the young man's eyes narrow a degree, but he hadn't changed his expression too much. He had never liked the government much, not ever since they held their hand in destroying the dojo he had grew to love.

For a moment, the two kept in silence in studying one another, and the larger man had pulled back a small smile, " You are no fisherman, though I will not ask why you fish. I am Antares, the emperor's military aid, and you?" He had slowly offered out one of the massive hands, only to have it looked at.

"Oshii."

He had been studied for a reason, and for precaution, the name had rolled off his tongue. There was the realization that he had used the name of the infant that had been biting his finger, though he wasn't about to spout his real name.

Once the elder warrior had realized there was to be no formalities, he had drawn his hand back, eyes growing flat and precautious, "A ronin then. Let me ask you something, 'Oshii', have you or has a man that looked like you ever worn glasses before?" The question had sent out a warning by that point, and while Jin hadn't set his hand to his weapon, he had only tilted his head to the side and regarded the cargo, " I'm delivering this for Bashi. Do you want me to carry it up?"

Ignoring the question wasn't probably the brightest thing to do, as the man's voice rose and his nose poked high into the air, like he was to be looked upon, " Did you or did you not carry glasses at one point?"

Pushy, wasn't he?

Instead of butting heads for the rest of the day, the young man had shifted his gaze to adjust back to the warrior, and regarded him carefully, " I did, at one point." There had been no reason to lie, as this was the answer he had been seeking.

" I see." It seemed that was it really, as Antares had turned away from the samurai and had gone to the crate. After a moment's pause, he had hoisted it up into the air and settled it onto his shoulder, heading back where he had come from. It seemed like that was the end of the conversation, and for a moment, Jin's gaze had moved back to the mountain pass. No woman in a pink tinted kimono.

" What is happening with the temple's restructuring?" He had slowly given glance to the boat and went to drifting behind him, having tugged the sakkat back over his gaze for the most part. The titan of a man had adjusted his gaze back as he realized he was being followed, and the round curve of his cheek tightened.

" That, is not a ronin's or a fisherman's concern. You have completed your task, and are not welcome past this point." The comment had only drifted past the samurai's ear, and slowly his footsteps had come to a stop. He had wanted to inquire on much more, but the boding of not being wanted only left him stuck with a frown on his face and a troubled thought. He had only one question to ask, and while it was a bold one, that too decided to roll off his tongue,

"Is Shino still there?"

The question did seem to jolt through the man carrying the cargo like an arrow had just pegged him in the back. He turned slowly, and black eyes pinned on the smaller samurai figure. Oddly enough, Jin's face remained passive despite the affect it had on Antares, " ..Yes, she is. How do you know her?"

The confirmation was enough relief for him, and slowly the swordsman's eyes eased. The worry that had engulfed him for the past few hours finally waned overhead. Though when the topic of how he knew the girl arrived, his head canted up the path once more to regard him slowly. Dealing with this man was like handling an over grown arachnid, " From a long time ago. Thank you." He had bowed his head faintly before he turned back down the path, figuring there was no more to be spoken of.

" You're the one who saved her, aren't you?"

Well, that was the question that hit him in the back of the head, though unlike reacting like the behemoth, he only kept walking. " Yes." There was the simple confirmation once again, and while his walk was short back to the boat, when he had turned to look back down the path, the boisterous warrior was no longer within sight. Strange, something that heavy would have taken a short while to get up onto the stone climb to the temple.


End file.
